NMW – classic art, modern promotion
A modern cultural institution, wanting to reach its audience, cannot forget Tik Tok, Instagram, or Facebook. The National Museum does this perfectly.
About the practice
As a cultural institution, the National Museum in Warsaw creates some of Poland’s best social media profiles. They follow trends, are always aware of what is happening socially, culturally, and geopolitically and are inspired by the world's most excellent museums. Instagram, Tik Tok, and Facebook are filled with lightness, humor, and knowledge. They feature freely recycled artwork (remix), collages, motion graphics, quizzes, fun, and educational videos.
About the institution
The National Museum in Warsaw is one of the largest museums in Poland and the largest in Warsaw. It houses collections of ancient art, Polish painting from the 13th century onwards, and foreign painting. It also has numismatic and handicraft collections.
Context
Due to the pandemic and lockdown (2020), the MNW was inaccessible to the public. Communication and the cultural and educational offer had to move to social media. The same year saw the launch of 'Digital MNW', an online catalog of images with free access. The social media team also saw the need to reach out to teenagers with its offer.
Location
National Polish Museum, Warsaw, Poland
Success factors
The key to success is openness to experimentation, mutual creative flow, passion, lightness and humor, and the collaboration of the whole team (including the content department in the production of materials). As well as continuous learning.
Target audience
Almost every age group, people at risk of exclusion, for Polish speakers
Sustainability
Running social media profiles is low-budget and replicable. It requires certain skills, but they are not difficult to learn. Through social media, the National Museum reaches out to people who are geographically excluded (for example, Poles abroad), disabled or jobless. In social media, it is free to use the principle of reuse, and share.
Digital tools
The National Museum operates several social media channels. Instagram and Tik Tok are particularly noteworthy. The social media team regularly uses phones with a good quality camera, with a gimbal, a micro-port, and a podcast microphone. They use programs such as the Adobe suite, Final Cut Pro, iMovie, Knight Lab, Spark AR, QuizMe for making videos, quizzes, gifs, collages, memes, and motion graphics.
Funding
The social media department is paid for from internal MNW funds. The National Museum also collaborates with sponsors.
Organization/ Institution National Museum in Warsaw Good practice link https://www.instagram.com/nationalmuseuminwarsaw/ https://www.tiktok.com/@nationalmuseuminwarsaw
Address Al. Jerozolimskie 3, Warsaw Contact person on good practice Beata Górska-Szkop, Justyna Borowska - Communication and Public Programs Department, social media +48 22 622 57 81 (Communication and Public Programs Department)
lszura@mnw.art.pl